


All Love Ever Does (Is Break And Burn In The End)

by seekrest



Series: The Secret Sessions [2]
Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Betty the matchmaker, Developing Friendships, F/M, First Dates, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, Michelle is tired of dating, and then she meets Peter, it’s a coffee shop AU if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-28 23:44:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21400612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seekrest/pseuds/seekrest
Summary: Michelle tapped her fingers against her phone, debating with herself.After last month’s awful date with some guy who went by Flash, Michelle was tired of Betty’s interventions.But Betty had been insistent, promising that if she just went on one more date with a guy she knew back in high school that she would finally leave Michelle alone.Michelle didn’t have time for dating but reminded herself that this would be the last time she’d have to do this, straightening her shoulders and walking through the front door.
Relationships: Michelle Jones/Peter Parker
Series: The Secret Sessions [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1537501
Comments: 42
Kudos: 241





	All Love Ever Does (Is Break And Burn In The End)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [perfectlystill](https://archiveofourown.org/users/perfectlystill/gifts).

> Song inspiration: Begin Again, _Red_ (2012)
> 
> To perfectlystill, can we talk about love? I’ve been dying to talk about love.

Michelle tapped her fingers against her phone, debating with herself. 

On the one hand, she hadn’t walked in yet. If she left right now, it wouldn’t matter. She’d have to deal with Betty’s shit later, about flaking out on yet _ another _ set up. But after last week’s awful date with some guy who went by _ Flash _, Michelle was tired of Betty’s interventions.

“You need to get out there. Best way to get over someone is by getting under someone else.” She’d quipped, eating avocado toast like a damn cliche as Michelle had rolled her eyes. 

Betty wasn’t necessarily wrong, but Michelle was tired of wasting her time. 

With men. With dating. With all of it. 

Harry was awful but eight months later and Michelle was done thinking about it. She told Betty time and time again that she was fine, that she didn’t _ need _ to be set up with anyone. 

But Betty had been insistent, promising that if she just went on one more date - just _ one _more with a guy she knew back in high school that she would finally leave Michelle alone.

That promise was the only thing keeping Michelle from turning away from the coffee shop, knowing that if she didn’t follow through with this that she was essentially giving Betty free reign to harass her about her dating life for the rest of time. 

Michelle sighed, a deep and low exhale before putting her phone back in her pocket and walking towards the door. Betty had showed her a picture of Peter Parker, first what he’d looked like in high school and a recent one from some of his social media profiles.

He was cute, attractive enough to be wary about meeting him - Michelle refusing for Betty to set them up on the weekend. In her mind, meeting on a Wednesday gave her the chance to use work as an excuse if she needed to get out, knowing that if she signed up for yet another evening of listening to some guy drone on about his interests without once asking her about hers, she would scream. 

As she walked into the coffee shop, a little French hipster cafe Betty had insisted on, Michelle wishes that she had at least had the presence of mind to stalk his social media as she usually did, just to have a better sense of what she was walking into. But then the day had gotten away from her, only getting out early from her clerkship because the judge was heading off on vacation. 

She didn’t have time for dating - didn’t have time for _ this _ \- but reminded herself that Betty would leave her alone if she went through with it. 

When Michelle walks in, she scans the place - assuming that she’d be there first, only to be surprised at seeing Peter Parker in the middle of the coffee shop - sitting at a table, looking up at her with a smile on his face. 

He was cuter than his pictures represented. Michelle walking towards him, taking her headphones out and feeling a little tongue tied.

She hadn’t expected him to be there before she was, no guy she’d met up with in the eight months since Harry ever had been. It was a nice surprise, enough to catch her off guard. 

“Hi. Michelle right?” Peter stood up, still smiling as he extended his hand out. Michelle looked at it for a second before she realized she was being rude, nodding as she shook his hand. 

“Yeah, Peter?” 

He nodded, moving so he could pull her chair out. Michelle looked at the chair and then back at him, seeing the coffees on the table. 

“I went ahead and ordered, Betty told me you liked flat whites. They just came out, so they should still be hot. But if they’re not or if you want something else, let me know.” He laughed, a gentle one that warmed Michelle’s insides. “I think the barista’s annoyed with me.” 

“Annoyed? Why?” Michelle asked, still not moving as Peter shrugged. 

“Been here awhile. Betty said that you hated it when people were late so I might’ve gotten here a little too early.” 

Michelle blinks, finally moving forward to sit - Peter helping moving the chair under her. It was… nice, if a little old-fashioned. Michelle would’ve normally been insistent about pushing her own chair in and more than a little annoyed about a guy ordering her drink for her, much less paying - assuming she’d needed him to do it.

But there was something instantly appealing about Peter Parker, completely unassuming and welcoming as he smiled at her, going to sit across from her. 

“How long is awhile? If I would’ve known, I would’ve gotten here earlier” Michelle asks, going to take a sip of the coffee in front of her. It was hot, just like Peter had said it was and delicious. In any other scenario, Michelle might have feigned disinterest. But something she couldn’t explain made her stop, watching from over her coffee cup as Peter answered her. 

“Thirty minutes?” He replied sheepishly, tapping his fingers against his mug. “I uh, was a little nervous.”

“Nervous? Why?” Michelle took another sip of her coffee, studying him as he tilted his head. Now, in front of him - Michelle could see why Betty had recommended him, a small part of her wondering if she had secretly been waiting to suggest Peter Parker until Michelle had reached her limit with bad dates. 

His hair was dark and ruffled slightly, Michelle seeing the way the edges curled up in a way that either signified he had just gotten out of bed or had spent way too much time in the mirror to get that look - Michelle getting the impression it was more of the former. 

He was dressed comfortably, dark jeans and a sweater with the sleeves rolled up. He had on a nice watch, something Michelle always noticed and appreciated - wondering if he came from money or if it was a gift. Whoever Peter Parker was, he was put together - another thing that made her think that Betty really had saved her best for last. 

But it was his eyes that disarmed Michelle, a warm brown that seemed open and honest in a way that throws her off balance. 

“I haven’t… I haven’t been on a date in awhile, to be honest.” Peter answers, Michelle seeing as he taps his fingers nervously against the mug in front of him. 

“I don’t know how she was with you but Betty seemed pretty intent on setting us up...” Peter trailed off, Michelle feeling instant solidarity with him.

“Betty is nothing if not persistent. Don’t worry, I’ve been on more dates than I ever should’ve because of her but… she means well.” 

Peter smirks, nodding as he said, “Yeah, she’s a good friend.” 

It’s quiet between them, Peter still staring at his coffee. Michelle’s curious now, leaning forward. 

“How long since your breakup?”

“Huh?” Peter looks confused, blinking back at her.

“Betty’s got a habit of trying to fix broken relationships.” Michelle shrugs before saying, “Eight months, for me. He was a dick but whatever.” Michelle takes another sip of her coffee, watching Peter as he stares down at his own before asking, “Has Betty tried setting you up with her address book too?”

Peter smiles, but Michelle can see it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Yeah, something like that. I haven’t really— haven’t been open to it, until recently.”

Michelle waits, getting the sense that he’s debating telling her something before he speaks again. 

“I, my last girlfriend… we didn’t break up, exactly.” Peter takes a deep breath as he continued to stare at his coffee, exhaling with his next words.

“She died, about a year ago now.” 

Michelle instantly feels like shit, for pressing him about his history and for joking about her ex. Harry was an asshole but she couldn’t imagine how she would feel if he died - getting the sense from the look on Peter’s face that his relationship hadn’t been anything like hers and Harry’s had been. 

“I’m so sorry.” Michelle says quickly, even as Peter lets out a small laugh. 

“It’s okay.” Peter shakes his head. “I’m sorry, this isn’t exactly a good start. Betty told me I have to stop bringing up my dead girlfriend in the first five minutes. Makes for bad first date talk.” He smiles but Michelle can see that it doesn’t reach his eyes. 

Michelle feels empathy for him, the guilt of wanting to ditch him before she had even met him eating away at her as she shook her head, “It’s fine, promise. I really am sorry. We can just tell Betty that we met and that it didn’t work out, if you want.” 

Peter seems to consider it for a moment before shaking his head, meeting her gaze. “No I mean, can’t get much worse than talking about our exes in the first five minutes right?”

Michelle purses her lips. “I don’t know, you’d be surprised at how terrible first dates can go if you’re not careful.”

Michelle sees the corner of his lips start to raise, leaning forward as he asked, “Just _ how _ many dates has Betty tried to set you up on?”

Michelle rolled her eyes. “I’ve lost count, to be honest. I know Betty works sales but it really makes me question how good she is at her job for how awful some of the guys she’s set me up with have been.”

Peter’s smirk turns into a full out grin, Michelle smiling in return. “And I thought I had it bad. Last time she tried to set me up with someone, I ended up making him cry in the middle of the restaurant.” 

“What happened?”

Peter shrugged, “Told me he had to go the restroom. Never came back.”

“Shit. There goes my plan.” Michelle quips.

Peter’s eyes widen in surprise and then the smile on his face erupts into laugher, throwing his head back. Michelle noticed how his whole body seemed to shake with the action, feeling an unfamiliar twinge of warmth at the sound. 

It’s enough to make her laugh, just for a moment until she sobers up, saying, “I really am sorry for your loss. We don’t have to stay, if you don’t want to.”

Peter smiles again, Michelle seeing something warm and inviting in his eyes. “It’s okay. Really.” He glances back down to his coffee before leaning forward, “I mean, I’d really like to hear more about those dates. Sounds like you have a lot of good stories.”

Michelle smiles at him, seeing the sincerity in his eyes.

“Like you wouldn’t believe.”

* * *

“I thought you hated hipsters.”

Michelle glances at him, raising an eyebrow. “How is that relevant to what we’re doing right now?”

Peter shrugs, flipping through a record. “Vinyls are for hipsters. Figured you wouldn’t want to be associated with them.” 

“Vinyls are for anyone with good taste.” Michelle scoffs, rifling through the stack she was in front of as she hears Peter snort before saying, “And _ you _have none.”

“That’s rich coming from someone who secretly watches _ The Bachelor _every Monday night—” Peter’s cut off by a punch from Michelle, laughing as he rubbed his arm playfully.

“Violent too. Really, you’re not one to talk.”

“Whatever, Parker. Shut up and help me look for this album.” Michelle rolls her eyes, turning back to the records in front of her. She hears Peter snicker but he complies, flipping through the stack in front of him. 

As she scans the albums in front of her, Michelle thinks back to that first meeting in the coffee shop - a failed first date from Betty’s standards but the perfect setup for what they had now - a friendship. 

Peter was kind, smart - genuinely funny even if he seemed to think that she was hilarious. Michelle wasn’t really interested in dating someone at the moment and Peter didn't really seem ready for it either. But they’d connected anyway, staying at that little cafe for far longer than Michelle had ever planned to - eventually moving to a pizza joint down the street. 

The past few months had passed in a blur, Michelle thinking that even if she wasn’t dating Peter Parker - that she couldn’t really imagine her life without having him be a part of it. 

They met up for lunch most weeks, his office being just a few blocks away from hers - trying out new restaurants, sharing their plates and splitting the bill. It was something that made Betty question the nature of their relationship - especially because she kept wanting to set her up with someone else if it wasn’t working out.

“Are you guys dating?” Betty had asked last week as Michelle grabbed her purse, making sure she had everything before she headed off to the movies with Peter.

“We’re _ friends _, Betty. Is that really so hard to imagine?” Michelle had replied, zipping her purse up as she went towards the door. 

“Whatever you say.” Michelle had ignored Betty’s comment, making her way out of the apartment. 

It was nice to just be friends with someone - much less someone as kind and as generous as Peter was - without wondering if there was an ulterior motive. It had been so long since she had hung out with a guy who asked her as many questions as he did without any other purpose than just to get to know her. Not because he was feigning interest to get into her pants, not because he was trying to get with a friend.

Just because he wanted to get to know her. 

And in return, she’d learned a lot more about Peter. His likes, what he thought about the world. Michelle hadn’t felt such a genuine interest in someone in so long, she forgot how it felt. 

Peter was open and honest, in a way that was refreshing. 

He told her about his years in college and his stint as a bartender, before moving into photography - working at the Bugle. But he also talked to her about his life, Michelle remembering the night he talked about the movies he and his aunt used to watch during the holidays, debating about whether Die Hard was a Christmas movie or not. 

And eventually, he told her everything that had happened with Gwen. 

It’d been a car accident, Peter had been driving and a drunk driver had come out of nowhere. It seemed to be a miracle that Peter hadn’t died with her, Michelle getting the sense that he blamed himself for something that was objectively not his fault. 

Even with all the shit with Harry, telling Peter about how serious and weirdly controlling he was - Michelle couldn’t imagine losing someone like he had, knowing for certain by now how different their relationship had been - and how much he had loved her. 

Even if it had been almost a year and a half since the accident, Michelle was still surprised to see how well adjusted he’d been - only to find out a few weeks into their friendship that Gwen hadn’t been his first loss. 

It was baffling to Michelle, in a way that only made her admire him more how Peter could’ve suffered so much and yet be so kind. 

Peter stills beside her, bringing her out her thoughts - Michelle holding on to a copy of _ Silk and Soul _ by Nina Simone as she glanced towards him.

“You find something?”

Peter says nothing, Michelle looking to the album he had stopped at - squinting to read the title of the album cover. 

“_Gorilla? _Huh, didn’t really strike me as a James Taylor fan. I thought you liked that alternative shit.”

“I’m not.” Peter answers softly, bringing the album out gingerly - holding it in his hands as if it were made of gold.

Michelle turns to face him, seeing the look on his face - recognizing it for what it is. 

“Gwen?” She offers, her voice quiet as Peter nods. 

She watches as he bites his lip, sighing as held the album in his hand, resting his arms on the stacks in front of him.

“She used to play this one song over and over again… ‘how sweet it is’ or something like that? May always told me that it was a cover and that the original was better.”

“May’s not wrong.” Michelle offers, Peter smiling as he nodded - eyes still transfixed on the album in front of him. 

“Even Gwen thought so. But she loved his version, something about her parents. I don’t remember now.” 

There’s a storm behind Peter’s eyes, getting lost in a memory as Michelle stands quietly beside him. It didn’t happen often, these moments of remembering Gwen. But it was enough that made Michelle wish that Peter hadn’t ever faced loss in his life, almost hoping that there was something she could do to have changed the tragedies of his life. 

Even if she couldn’t, Michelle could only be there for him now - bringing a hand to his shoulder as he looked up to meet her eyes. 

“You want to get it?” 

Peter blinks a few times, taking a deep breath before looking back at the album - exhaling out of his mouth before saying, “No. I… I’m good.”

“You sure? I got a rewards membership here. You’d be helping me out.” 

Peter laughs at that, gently placing the album back into the stack. “There’s no such thing as rewards memberships at a _ record _ store.” 

“Says _ you _. You don’t have taste, remember? How do you know?” Michelle jokes with him, seeing as the tension in his shoulders started to melt away. 

Peter just laughs her off, catching her eye as she smiled back at him. 

He doesn’t say the words but Michelle can sense them in his eyes all the same, nodding her head before going back to the stack in front of her. 

Peter was a good person, an even better friend. Michelle couldn’t take away the pain of his past. 

But she could try and help. 

* * *

“I’m sure you’ll look great, MJ. Stop worrying about it.”

“You know, you say that but you also like pineapple on your pizza so I really don’t trust your opinion.” 

He snorts at this, Michelle feeling the roll of his eyes even if she can’t see it, zipping up her dress. The nickname was new, brought about after some conversation in the middle of the night - remembering how his laughter had been the last thing she’d heard before she had drifted to sleep. 

Peter hadn’t really been the first person she thought of to take dress shopping with her, but Betty was busy and most of her other friends were studying for the bar - something Michelle _ should _ be doing, cursing the fact that she’d somehow got roped into a coworker's wedding. 

Michelle would’ve said no and wouldn’t have felt bad about it, only for the judge to have been right there - gushing about how wonderful it was that everyone got along and how she was looking forward to seeing them all at the wedding. 

Michelle thought being a suck up was beneath her but she also wasn’t stupid - knowing that turning down the invitation would reflect more about who she was than anything she had done during her clerkship. 

Annoying and outdated, Michelle already knew how office politics worked. 

Betty was also _ conveniently _ going to be out of town for the wedding, something that Michelle really didn’t believe - thinking she could just go by herself, until Betty had insisted otherwise.

“You have to bring a plus one.”

“I don’t _ have _ to do anything. Who says I can’t go solo?” Betty had sighed, rifling through their mail. 

“It’s just not _ done _, Michelle. Besides, Peter’s a great dancer. You should take him.”

Michelle had ignored Betty’s remark, knowing that her friendship with Peter didn’t make sense to her. They were friends, best friends at this point. And even if going with Peter _ did _ sound marginally better than going alone, Michelle didn’t want to give him the wrong ideas.

They were friends - best friends, even but Michelle couldn’t help but think that going to a wedding with Peter would make things awkward - for reasons she hadn’t been ready to admit, much less talk with Betty about. 

“I’ll ask him if it’ll shut you up.” Is all that Michelle had replied, remembering that Peter _ was _ a good dancer - thinking back to the night they’d gone out to a club for one his coworkers birthday. They were close enough friends by now that no situation could really be awkward between the two of them, she reasoned. 

Which made her current situation something that could be easily fixed, the zipper getting caught in her hair as she tried to zip it up. 

“Shit.”

“You okay?” She can hear him ask behind the curtain, sighing as she wriggled further. 

“Damn zipper’s stuck. Here, come do it for me.”

Peter’s silent on the other end, Michelle glancing towards the curtain. 

“Pete?”

“Um yeah, coming.” His voice is strange, Michelle glancing down to kick her bra away from the entrance as he moves the curtain back, eyes widening a little. 

“What?”

“You… you look nice.” Michelle looks down, thinking that the emerald dress was a good idea if it made Peter - a man who never stopped talking - speechless. But she was more concerned about the zipper now, not necessarily attached to the idea of walking out with her hair caught in it.

“Thanks. Can you help me…?”

“Yeah, yeah sorry.” Peter replies, Michelle turning around to hold the dress up in the front as she feels Peter’s hand brush against her back, working on the zipper and her hair. 

He’s gentle with it, Michelle wondering if he’s had to do this before with May or even with Gwen. He didn’t talk much about her now, but Michelle knew the loss was still there - knowing that it never really went away. 

It’s quiet as Peter works, Michelle feeling a jolt of electricity at Peter’s fingers moved her hair from her back - a gentle touch that felt as if it lingered a beat longer than necessary. 

“Got it.” He whispered, Michelle swallowing down the lump in her throat as she turned to face him, seeing an unreadable expression in his eyes.

“Thanks. Again.” 

He nods, eyes locked on hers for a beat before he blinks, going to move beyond the curtain. 

“Um, I’m gonna—I’ll just—” He stammered. 

“Yeah, I’m almost finished.” Michelle answered back, feeling more awkward with him than she’s felt in months as he stepped out and closed the curtain behind him. 

As Michelle’s heart started to inexplicably race, letting the dress fall to the floor - Michelle wondered if maybe Betty was right.

Maybe there was something between the two of them after all.

* * *

When the wedding rolls around, neither of them mentioned the moment in the dressing room - Michelle thinking that nothing had really happened, so it wasn’t worth discussing. 

But things had started to feel different between them, a tension that didn’t really feel _ tense _ \- but as if there was something building that neither of them wanted to acknowledge. 

The wedding itself felt like a blur, Michelle only half-heartedly paying attention until they were sitting - watching as couples started to move towards the dance floor for some slow song. 

She felt Peter stand up beside her, glancing up to look at him as he extended his hand out - saying nothing. 

He’d said she looked beautiful when he picked her up from her apartment, like a best friend, Michelle was sure. 

And she had thanked him, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach when he smiled back, because Peter was her best friend and this wasn’t a date. 

But as she slipped her hand into his, the clacking of her heels reverberating through the dance floor even above the music, Michelle wondered how bad it would be to something other than Peter’s best friend. 

She chases away the thought, just as Peter brings her closer to him - one arm resting on his shoulder and another in his hand. 

Michelle swallows again, standing taller than him in her heels - something that she had considered not wearing, but that Peter had encouraged her to do so - knowing how much she liked them.

She hadn’t in high school and through most of college, wearing them again when she realized how powerful she felt in them - only stopping when her and Harry had dated, tired of hearing him complain at how emasculated he felt about his girlfriend being taller than him. 

But Peter, her best friend, didn’t seem to care. And it made Michelle’s heart race as he held her close, swaying to the beat. 

She says nothing and neither does Peter, locking eyes with each other as they move to the song. It’s a simple dance, a back and forth that wouldn’t be memorable to anyone else - but something about it felt significant to Michelle, feeling Peter’s hand on the small of her back. 

“Beautiful wedding.”

  
“Yeah.” Michelle feels stupid, nervous even if she won’t admit why. But Peter seems to be just as flustered, wondering why even if she could guess - could _ hope _ \- about the reason why. 

The song continues to play, Peter speaking up. 

“You look beautiful.”

Michelle rolls her eyes, pretending that his tone was joking - fooling herself that Peter didn’t mean anything else by it. “You don’t have to flatter me, Peter. The free booze is there for the taking.”

Peter just keeps staring at her, the look in his eye making her throat feel dry.

Michelle clears her throat before saying, “Thanks. You look beautiful too.”

This makes Peter laugh, Michelle feeling whatever tension there had been breaking slightly as she smiled. 

But then Peter locked eyes with her again, Michelle’s heartbeat pounding in her ears as she saw his gaze shift down to her lips then back to her eyes, the music still softly playing in the background. 

She’s struck by the sudden urge to lean in, to feel his lips against hers - knowing that it could potentially ruin everything between them, ruin the friendship that they’d spent almost a year building. 

But then Michelle thinks, it could also be the start of something different - of a friendship made stronger because of an added dimension to it, of figuring out something new with Peter in a way that she suddenly realized - she really wanted to. 

Peter beats her to the punch, closing his eyes as he leans in - Michelle closing her own as their lips met. 

Michelle knows there are people still around her, can still hear the music playing in the background - but Michelle is transfixed, letting her hand slip out of his - moving it so that both of her hands were almost cradling his face. 

She feels his his own arms bring her closer until she feels breathless, a kiss that feel intimate and inevitable all at once. 

Michelle is the first one to lean back, opening her eyes to see Peter looking dazed, blinking as he stared into hers. 

“Wow.” She hears him whisper, looking back at him. 

Michelle bites her lip, resting her hands at the back of his neck. 

“So. This changes things.”

“Does it?” Peter asks. “Doesn’t have to. If you don’t want it to.”

Michelle can feel the out that he’s giving her, the possibility of settling back into the friendship that they had built up with each other. 

Yet kissing him felt… _ right _, in a way that a lot in her life hadn’t felt before. 

Peter was her best friend. And she wanted to keep kissing him, thinking that it almost made it better that he was. 

“What if I do?” Michelle replies, seeing the way Peter’s brain seems to catch on to what she’s saying.

He smiles, Michelle feeling just as she did the first time she’d ever seen it - tongue tied and completely disarmed. 

“That’s great.” Peter starts to close his eyes, bringing her closer before kissing her again - one that Michelle returns in full force. 

As the music continues to play, Peter gently swaying her to the beat as the kiss deepened, Michelle thinks that she’d have to tell Betty that she was right. 

But feeling him pressed up against her, the movement of his lips the only thing she could bring herself to think about - Michelle was glad that she was.

She couldn’t have anticipated that this is where they would’ve ended up when they had met all those months ago - a friendship she hadn’t expected but had grown to love. 

Yet holding him close, breathing him in as he kissed her - Michelle felt as if tonight wasn’t necessarily the end of that friendship, but maybe the beginning of something more.   
  
  


* * *

  
_I’ve been spending the last eight months,_

_thinking all love ever does is break and burn in the end._

_But on a Wednesday, in a cafe -_

_I watched it begin again.  
_

**Author's Note:**

> [LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL ART!!!](https://petermjdaya.tumblr.com/post/612811457334263808/on-a-wednesday-in-a-cafe-i-watched-it-begin) Thank you petermjdaya!


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